Christopher Oji
The Lagos State Police Command has busted a child’s theft syndicate in Lagos .
The police rescued a one -week -old -baby stolen from Gombe State from the syndicate. The baby who was seriously sick has been taken to the hospital for treatment.
Lagos State police public relations officer, DSP Bala Elkana ,said the syndicate was discovered August 26 at the Jakande Estate gate, Ejigbo area of Lagos.
According to Elkana,”about 3.30pm, a police officer attached to Motor traffic division, while controlling traffic at Jakande gate, Ejigbo, noticed a sort of commotion close to her traffic point. She intervened and discovered that the commotion was about two ladies, Gift, 24, and Florence ,50, found with a new born baby. They were about to be lynched over the suspicion that the baby may have been stolen. Some people who have been trailing them from their residence in Ijegun,raised the alarm.
“The community had been suspecting that the suspects were using their clinic for the business of buying and selling of babies, but for the timely intervention of the traffic police woman, the women with the baby were rescued and taken to the Ejigbo divisional police Headquarters where indept investigation was conducted.
“ Investigation revealed that the said Florence, a native of Igueben , Edo State, who is not a registered Nurse operates two Maternity/ Clinics, Flofidel Clinic and Maternity Homes with branches in Shosanya Street, I82, Ijegun road ,and Okunola Ijagemo areas. On interrogation, Florence confessed to have been in the business of sales of babies for a while. She revealed that a baby girl is referred to as “Pink” while a baby boy is called “Blue”; and are both referred to as “market”. She further confessed that the male baby found in their possession was brought to her from Gombe, enroute Akure and that they wanted to sell the baby for N500,000.00.
Worthy of mention are pictures of about 50 different babies in the phone of the suspect, believed to have already been sold. Florence confessed that babies were usually sold between N500,000.00 and N1million depending on sex. sex”.